Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.15 / Trend, E. Ismailov /
Azerbaijan intends to increase gas production to 30 billion cubic meters a year by 2012 and by 2020 this figure will be increased to 55 billion cubic meters of gas, the head of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan's Gas Export Department Kamal Abbasov said Wednesday.
"Along with the Shah Deniz field, we have other promising structures that will make a contribution to the further increase in gas production. There is the prospect of expanding markets that will buy gas from us. Therefore we have to build the corresponding gas transportation infrastructure," Abbasov said.
Azerbaijan is looking for new ways to supply gas such as the AGRI projects, which envisages supply of Azerbaijani liquefied gas to Romania and later through Romania to other European countries such as Hungary.
"We are also considering the possibility of supplying compressed natural gas to Bulgaria through Georgia with further entry to other European markets," Abbasov said.
At present, Azerbaijan exports gas to Georgia, Turkey and Russia. It is expected to start supplying gas to Iran and European countries in the near future.
Potential of extracted gas reserves in Azerbaijan is estimated at five trillion cubic meters.